Donaueschingen Music Days

More than 100 Years of Avant-Garde

In October 1921 — the Weimar Republic was still young, World War I less than three years past — the Donaueschingen princely court founded a small concert series for "chamber music." Over a century, this modest initiative evolved into the world's most important festival for New Music: the Donaueschingen Music Days. Composers such as Paul Hindemith, Arnold Schönberg, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Pierre Boulez, Luigi Nono, Helmut Lachenmann, Wolfgang Rihm, Brian Ferneyhough, and Olga Neuwirth have experienced premieres here — works that later became milestones in music history. Today, Donaueschingen is more than a festival: it is the global address for contemporary composition, sound art, and musical research.

Theme 2026: Individual and Group

Each festival edition is dedicated to a programmatic focus. Theme 2026: the relationship between the individual and the group — a musical reflection on the fundamental sociological question of our time. How does the individual sound event relate to the collective? How do sonic majorities emerge from individual actions? How are ensemble structures organized? The program addresses these questions in works, installations, and discussion formats.

The Leading Ensembles

Donaueschingen annually brings together the leading ensembles and orchestras of contemporary music: the SWR Symphony Orchestra Stuttgart as the oldest festival partner, the Klangforum Wien from Austria, the Ensemble Intercontemporain from Paris (founded by Pierre Boulez), the SWR Experimentalstudio as a specialized studio for live electronic performance. In addition, soloists and smaller ensembles from around the world are guests. Co-organizers are the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde Donaueschingen, the City of Donaueschingen, the Südwestrundfunk (SWR), and the SWR Experimentalstudio.

10,000 Visitors, 15 Countries, One Small Town

Donaueschingen has about 22,000 inhabitants — yet during the Music Days, around 10,000 visitors from over 15 countries travel to the town. Composers, musicologists, journalists, publishers, programmers from festivals and concert institutions, music lovers, and students meet in the concert halls, galleries, and cafés of the small town at the source of the Danube. It is a concentrated atmosphere, unique in its density and internationality.

Next Generation — The Student Initiative

An important part of the program is Next Generation: an international student initiative that provides young people from all disciplines access to the festival. Concert visits, rehearsal recordings, workshops, and direct encounters with composers and ensemble members are on the agenda. With Next Generation, Donaueschingen cultivates the next generation of the New Music scene and invests in the future of the festival.

Donaueschingen — At the Source of the Danube

Donaueschingen is located in the Schwarzwald-Baar district in southern Baden-Württemberg, at the source of the Danube (at the confluence of the Brigach and Breg rivers). The town with its 22,000 inhabitants is home to the princely Fürstenberg Castle, the Danube spring, and a high-quality museum of modern art. During the Music Days, all the town's important venues are used — Donauhallen, the castle's concert hall, Festsaal, Pfarrkirche, and smaller spaces. Program and tickets available from July 3, 2026.